The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday passed sweeping new privacy rules created to keep broadband providers from giving customers’ private data to third parties.
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The racial justice group Color Of Change, which advocated for stronger privacy protections as a safeguard against data collection-which disproportionately affects communities of color-also welcomed the announcement. Critics, such as FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai, who rejected the regulations, say these rules should be unified across all service providers and companies. The rules spell out opt-in and opt-out requirements for different types of customer data that ISPs can use or share with others, and also set out new requirements for transparency and security.
But Chair Wheeler framed the privacy rules as upholding a simple principle: consumer information on the web belongs to individuals, not the networks that deliver that information.
“For the first time, Internet Service Providers will be required to get consumer consent prior to using the sensitive information they collect”, said Dallas Harris, a policy fellow at Public Knowledge, a consumer advocacy group that pushed for the privacy regulation.
Customers who agree with their providers having this info need to make it explicit by notifying them of their “opt-in” choosing. “There is a basic truth: It is the consumer’s information”, he said.
Last December for example Internet rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the USA after it allegedly found evidence to suggest Google is collecting and data mining the personal information of school children who use Google’s services. Federal officials approved new privacy guidelines for internet service providers.
The rules also require providers to take “reasonable measures” to protect sensitive information. The rules seek to harmonize the requirements for ISPs with current FCC CPNI rules that restrict usage of customer data by telecommunications carriers.
The 3-2 vote along party lines requires that these providers obtain consumers’ consent before sharing and using their web browsing and app history data for ad targeting and marketing, giving consumers unprecedented control over the use of their personal information.
“The privacy framework established today sets a bad precedent likely to reverberate throughout the internet ecosystem for years to come”, said Doug Brake, ITIF’s telecom policy analyst in a statement.
Joan Marsh, AT&T’s SVP for Federal Regulatory Affairs, criticized the FCC ruling as “illogical” and with the potential to “confuse customers”.
But the new rules could make doing that more hard.
An interagency council including the FTC and FCC should attempt to make privacy rules uniform and consistent, Rosenworcel said.
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A local expert says that means companies like; Cable One, Sprint, or Midcontinent will have new restrictions so they don’t abuse customer’s information.
